


Giving Comfort

by FanGirlofManyThings



Series: Voltron Snuggles [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Comfort, M/M, More platonic than anything, platonic, relationship if you squint, snuggles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-28 22:16:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8465038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanGirlofManyThings/pseuds/FanGirlofManyThings
Summary: Keith is heading back to his room when he hears crying coming from one of the others.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is unbeta-ed

Keith was on his way back to his room after a long session on the training deck. His hair was sticking awkwardly to the back of his neck and his muscles ached with every step his took. He was looking forward to a hot shower and a long nap.

 

As he rounded the corner soft sobs floated down the paladin corridor. Keith stiffened his shoulders, crying people weren’t his strong suit. He never knew what to say and was always left sitting 8 inched away from the person, awkwardly patting their back.

 

Keith quickened his pace and tried to tune out the sobs that were starting to poke at his softer side. He mentally cursed that his room was at the end of the hall. But he was determined to leave the emotional stuff to someone more qualified than he was.  Not that all of them didn’t have their own share of emotional and mental health issues. Some people just naturally had the ability to comfort people.

 

Once he reached his door he rushed to punch in his code as quickly as possible. His finger was hovering over the last digit when he heard the hiss of air that accompanied the opening of a door.

 

“Allura?” A puffy eyed Lance poked his head out of his room dragging a sleeve under his nose.

 

“I didn’t know my footsteps sounded like a princess’s” Keith snapped, losing some of the venom as he caught sight of Lance’s slumped shoulders.

 

“No, I guess they don’t,” Lance said quietly. “Sorry, I thought you were Allura.”

 

“Well, I’m not,” Keith told his door, trying and failing to ignore how Lance’s defeated posture was ripping holes in his carefully crafted emotional armor.

 

“No, you’re not,” Lance agreed with a small sniffle.

 

“Well, I’m going to shower now,” Keith said lamely punching in the last digit. The door slid open and he stepped inside. As he set his bayard down in its customary spot on his desk he caught sight of the bright blue Altaen equivalent to tissues.

 

Keith sighed, snatched the box off his desk and turned sharply on his heel. He all but marched down the hallway to Lance’s room, cursing his weakness all the way. He took a deep breath to steady himself and then knocked gently on the door. Slow shuffling could be heard within the room and it seemed like forever before the door slid open reveling a very sad looking Lance wrapped in a blanket and clutching a pillow to his chest.

 

Keith awkwardly held up the box and said “I thought you might be low.” He fixed his gaze just over Lance’s shoulder. He could see blue tissue balls littering the floor radiating out from the waste basket.

 

“Um…yeah I kind of am,” Lance mumbled. “Thanks.” Lance however did not seem inclined to release his pillow. Keith shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot unsure of how to precede.

 

Finally Lance said, “You can just put them on the desk.” He turned and shuffled back towards his bed.

 

As Keith stepped into the room the door slid shut behind him, He set the box down on the desk and tried to think of what to say. The silence built between them as Keith’s eyes roamed over the objects scattered on Lance’s desk. He gave a small chuckle when he noticed Lance’s souvenir from their last mission, a small hand carved pipe. The local population of a small planet they had liberated had given it to Lance for rescuing their princess. Later they had learned it was what was given to a prospective bridegroom. Lance had politely explained the misunderstanding and was more than willing to give it back. However they had insisted he keep it as a reminder of them. The rustle of a blanket pulled Keith out of his memories.

 

Without facing Lance, he asked, “You missing your family again?” It was a shot in the dark but Keith couldn’t think of anything else that could be bothering his fellow paladin.

 

There was a soft thud in response. Keith turned around to discover the sound had been Lance face planting into the pillow currently not clutched in his vice grip. Keith slowly approached the bed and sat on the very edge. They stayed like that for quite some time. The seconds stretched into minutes and the only sounds in the room were their breathing and Lance’s muffled sobs.

 

With a hiccup Lance turned his head to look at Keith. “It’s my mom’s birthday back on Earth,” sniffles punctuated Lance’s sentence. “My siblings and I would have spent all day cooking my mom’s favorite dinner and baking her a cake. My sisters, always baked her favorite cake and decorated it with sprinkles and fancy icing words. Every year, during the days leading up to her birthday she would always tell us she didn’t want anything special. But she loved it when we cooked for her.”

 

“Oh…” Keith wasn’t sure what to say. He’d been on his own so long, he didn’t remember what it was like to have a family.

 

Lance pushed himself into a sitting position. He pulled his long legs into a crisscross, one knee bumping into Keith’s hip. “Yeah,” he swiped at his nose again.

 

Keith reached down and grabbed the mostly empty box of tissues next to the bed. He offered Lance one while saying “It must be hard to be away from all of them.”

 

Lance took one and blew his nose. “Yeah, it is,” his lower lip started to wobble. “We were all so close, it’s like I don’t even know who I am without them. They made up such a huge part of my world back on earth.” Tears started spilling down his cheeks again.

 

“But you were separated from them while you were in the Garrison,” Keith said honestly a bit confused about how this was different. Unless Lance cried while he was at the Garrison as well; not that Keith would have known back then.

 

Lance sniffled again, “This is different. When I was in the Garrison I could call them whenever I want. I don’t have any way to contact them out here. No way to tell them I’m alive and doing okay. My mom probably thinks I’m dead. What do you think the Garrison told them?”

 

Keith sighed and scooted farther on to the bed, so he was sitting parallel to Lance with his back against the wall. He laid, what he hoped was, a comforting hand on Lance’s back and told him, “I have no idea what they told your folks. But no matter what your family loves you and wants you back. And we’re gonna get you back to them. First though, we need to keep them safe by defeating the Galra empire.” Lance dabbed at the corners of his eyes, trying to mop up the tears before they spilled. He gave Keith a small nod.

 

“And I know it’s probably not exactly the same but we’re all family here. You, me, Pidge, Shiro, Hunk, Allura and Coran, we’re one big family. And we’re always going to be there for each other,” Keith told him.

 

Keith was pretty sure he’d just said the wrong thing because Lance broke down in to more hysterics and through his arms around Keith’s neck. Lance buried his face in the crook of Keith’s neck. Keith laid a hand on Lance’s back and patted it in an awkward attempt to comfort the crying mess of a boy draped on him. They stayed like that for a while, Lance crying into Keith’s shoulder and Keith trying his best to calm him down.

 

Eventually Lance’s loud sobs quieted into small hiccups and the occasional sniffle. Then he started squirming in Keith’s arms.

 

“What are you doing?” Keith asked with only a touch of annoyance.

 

“Getting more comfortable, this is hurting my back.” Lance answered still wriggling. Apparently Lance wasn’t willing to give up physical contact just yet.

 

Keith heaved a sigh, gathered Lance up in his arms and deposited him into his lap so Lance’s head was resting on his shoulder and his legs were draped over his own.

 

“Better?” He asked. Lance nodded in response and wrapped his arms around Keith’s middle. Keith returned the gesture with a swift squeeze.

 

They sat like that for a long while, letting the gentle sounds of the Castle of Lions lull them into sleep.

 

Just as his eyes were drifting shut Keith could have sworn he heard Lance mumble,  “Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm taking requests for this series. Follow me on tumblr: fangirlofmanythings


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